The moment the golden characters appeared, an invisible ripple radiated from Jiaojiao to all the mountains and rivers in this world.

Qiao Zhongguo, Qiao Tianjing and Shen Yuanling who were around him sensed something and turned to look at Jiaojiao.

At the same time, countless people in this world looked up at the sky.

Che Taishi was still crying in his wheelchair, the Wuding army and the people, Shen Yuanzhan and Xiao Qianlan in the capital of Yong Dynasty who couldn't sleep at night because of the war situation, Zuo Hejing and Han Yaxian who tossed and turned because of their family members...

At this moment, everyone in the world seemed to have a vague understanding in their hearts, but they were unable to express it in words.

At this time, in the distant country of Nanli.

Meng Guxue, who was already fast asleep, was awakened. She suddenly opened her eyes and ran out of the hall barefoot without even having time to put on her shoes.

The moon tonight was big and round. Meng Guxue stared at the sky in a trance.

Until a burst of hurried footsteps was heard, Baili Chengyou hurried over, saw Meng Guxue standing barefoot on the stone bricks, and immediately picked her up horizontally.

Meng Guxue raised her hands and put them around Baili Chengyou's shoulders, muttering:

"Baili, do you feel it?"

Baili Chengyou frowned and followed Meng Guxue's gaze towards the full moon in the sky.

He nodded slightly, "Yeah."

"Baili, what a relief this feels like—"

No one could describe their feelings at the moment, except Meng Guxue.

Suddenly, it was as if the invisible shackles on my body were removed, and my whole body felt light and refreshed.

"Is it Jiaojiao? It must be Jiaojiao..."

When talking about Jiaojiao, Meng Guxue couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat.

She suddenly dug her way into Baili Chengyou's neck and said in a muffled voice, "Baili, I really miss Jiaojiao."

It was rare for Meng Guxue to be so well-behaved. Baili Chengyou's heart softened when he saw this. He held the person in his arms tighter and said in a gentle voice:

"Wait a little longer. When Yong Dynasty's Northern Expedition is over, I will personally take you to Yong Dynasty to congratulate them. How about that?"

Meng Guxue suddenly raised her upper body when she heard this, her eyes widened, "Really?!"

Baili Chengyou couldn't help but smile, "When have I ever lied to you?"

Meng Guxue tilted her head to think about it, then muttered, "That's true."

Baili Chengyou walked into the palace while holding Meng Guxue, saying: "This Northern Expedition shows that the Yong Dynasty is indeed strong in national strength and military power. Although there is a hundred-year alliance, we in Nanli still have to bow our heads..."

"Why don't you put on your shoes first? What if you catch a cold?"

The topic suddenly changed.

"Ahhh, Baili, you can't come up here again! I...we agreed that I'm not even 15 years old yet!"

"Look, you're thinking the wrong thing again."

"Then why are you coming over here?"

"I'm afraid you'll be cold, so I'll warm you up."

"It's so hot, why should I be cold? It's so hot!"

Outside the palace.

Xiao Tao: “…”

A-Rye: “…”

OK, OK, these two guys are still awake in the middle of the night and making trouble again!

......

No one understood why they were looking up at the sky at this moment, but they seemed to feel something in the dark.

But Jiaojiao knew that it was the wind of freedom blowing through every independent and dazzling soul, eventually filling the world and benefiting all living beings.

This was Jiaojiao’s vision, and it has truly come true at this moment!

————

The next afternoon.

After a night and half a day of cleanup, the situation in various places was gradually reported to Qiao Zhongguo.

Jiaojiao listened at the side, and finally waited for Qiao Bo to come in person to report the news from Yuchao Palace.

"General, the fire has been put out. Only two unrecognizable charred bodies were found in the palace."

The moment she heard the word “two”, Jiaojiao’s guess was finally settled.

There is no doubt that the dead are King Jin Yu and Wu Geng. As for Shen Yuanbai...

At this time, Qiao Bo's voice continued to sound: "Following the general's instructions, I made a special investigation and found the entrance to the secret passage under the bed."

"Prince Ling and his subordinates explored together and found that the secret passage leads to two places, one is the Yangxin Palace, and the other is the East Palace."

Jiaojiao understood what was said.

Li Ji is a person who values ​​friendship and loyalty. Although she is under their control, when faced with her father's questions, she only vaguely mentioned the existence of the secret passage after she confirmed that her father had no intention of harming Shen Yuanbai.

Daddy didn't make things difficult for Li Ji and didn't ask any further questions.

Now that the truth is out, everything fits together.

On that day, Shen Yuanbai must have promised Li Ji freedom through secret channels and "acquaintances in the Yong army" and asked Li Ji to help him drug King Jin Yu.

The palace maids in the Yangxin Palace said that Prince Jin Yu, Che Zhaohua, and Li Ji had disappeared. It seemed that Shen Yuanbai had brought them all to the Yuchao Palace through the secret passage.

Because the palace was going to be burned down, Shen Yuanbai naturally couldn't keep Li Ji and the others, so he asked Li Ji and the other six to go to the East Palace through a secret passage, hoping that they would leave the royal court from there.

Unexpectedly, because there was one more person, Che Zhaohua, in the team, they were stopped by the soldiers and reported to my father.

As for why the secret passage leads to the Yangxin Palace and the Eastern Palace...

If Jiaojiao guessed correctly, this secret passage is quite old and should have been built when King Jin Yong was still alive.

As he was the king at the time, he lived in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, while Prince Jin Yu was still the crown prince at the time, so he lived in the Eastern Palace.

In order to conceal their tracks and facilitate their humiliation of Yu Liu, these two beasts actually dug two secret passages that led directly to Yu Liu's bedroom...

Jiaojiao remembered that the suicide note left by Yu Liu did not mention the secret passage, so it seemed that Yinzhu told Shen Yuanbai about this matter.

At this point, Jiaojiao could guess Shen Yuanbai's thoughts to a near-perfect degree.

When he burned the palace with fire and forced the way of heaven, Shen Yuanbai must have really been determined to die.

Because he couldn't be sure whether the rebound talisman would be effective at the last moment, he just stubbornly and resolutely fought for that freedom, even at the cost of his life.

When they met in the canyon, Jiaojiao had actually seen the determination to die in Shen Yuanbai.

But when they met again this time, Shen Yuanbai seemed to have changed again.

Jiaojiao didn't know what influenced him, perhaps it was Yinzhu's unreserved loyalty, perhaps it was Li Ji's desire for freedom, or perhaps it was something else, something that was still beautiful to Shen Yuanbai.

Or maybe, it was Yu Liu's blessing -

"Perhaps after my mother's last wish is fulfilled, my son will finally be free. From now on, he will sing with the accompaniment of his voice, walk alone with a lantern, and ride his horse on the flowers to freedom."

So after the rebound talisman took effect and the old King of Hell took action, Shen Yuanbai, who had escaped death, chose to step into the secret passage.

The secret passage where the two beasts had traveled back and forth countless times, filled with sin and filth, had been Yu Liu's lingering nightmare and shackles.

Jiaojiao didn't know what Shen Yuanbai was thinking when he was walking alone.

However, he must have felt relieved when he walked out of the dark passage and darkness and stood in the moonlight again...

Right and wrong, good and evil, all have their own cause and effect.

The sins committed in the past, the wrong paths taken, and the tragedies caused will not disappear. As for where the karma will fall, only Shen Yuanbai himself knows.

After all, what follows is an unknown life that belongs entirely to him.